Portland Public Library

The fallacy of fine-tuning, why the universe is not designed for us, by Victor J. Stenger

eng

Includes bibliographical references and index

illustrations

index present

non fiction

The fallacy of fine-tuning

bibliography

679931691

by Victor J. Stenger

why the universe is not designed for us

Argues that many claims by theists are based on their misunderstanding of science. He looks at the specific parameters and shows that plausible reasons can be found for the values they have within the existing standard models of physics and cosmology

Science and God. NOMA ; Natural theology ; Darwinism ; Intelligent design -- The anthropic principles. Fine-tuning ; History ; Hoyles' prediction ; The anthropic principles ; Fine-tuning today -- The four dimensions. Models ; Observations ; Space, time, and reality ; Parameters ; Definitions ; Trivial and arbitrary parameters ; Space-time and four-momentum ; Criteria for fine-tuning ; Geological and biological parameters -- Point-of-view invariance. The conservation principles ; Lorentz invariance ; Classical mechanics ; General relativity and gravity ; Quantum mechanics ; Gauge theory ; The standard model ; Atoms and the void -- Cosmos. Some basic cosmology ; A semi-Newtonian model ; Inflation, past and present ; Phase space ; Entropy -- The eternal universe. Did the universe begin? ; The missing singularity ; Quantum tunneling ; Imaginary time ; A scenario for a natural origin of the universe ; The biverse -- Gravity is fiction. Gravity and electromagnetism ; Not universal ; Why are masses so small? ; How to get mass ; Another way to get mass -- Chemistry. The hydrogen atom ; The quantum theory of atoms ; The many-electron atom ; The scaling of the Schrödinger equation ; Range of allowed parameters -- The Hoyle resonance. Manufacturing heavier elements in stars ; The Hoyle prediction -- Physics parameters. Are the relative masses of particles fine-tuned? ; Mass of electron ; Masses of neutrinos ; Strength of weak nuclear force ; Strength of the strong interaction ; The relative strengths of the forces ; Proton decay ; Baryogenesis --Cosmic parameters. Mass density of the universe ; Deuterium ; The expansion rate of the universe ; Protons and electrons in the universe ; Big bang ripples ; Parameters of the concordance model ; The cold big bang -- The cosmological constant. Vacuum energy ; Holographic cosmology ; Ghost particles ; Is the cosmological constant zero by definition? ; Acceleration with zero cosmological constant ; The multiverse and the principle of mediocrity -- Monkeygod. Principles and parameters ; Simulating universes -- Probability. Probability arguments ; Bayesian arguments ; Another Bayesian argument -- Quantum and consciousness. The new spirituality ; Making your own reality ; Waves and particles ; Human inventions ; A single reality ; The statistical interpretation ; Deriving the uncertainty principle -- Summary and review. The parameters ; Probability arguments ; Status of the strong anthropic principle ; A final conclusion